Welcome to the innaugural post on my blog! This is something that I have been interested in starting for a long time and I am proud to say it has finally arrived. I wanted to have a space of my very own to lay out thoughts about the world around me. From metaphysics to mathematics, logics to lyrics, this will hopefully serve as an incubator. Perhaps I will even get to see some progression and growth of ideas as the years pass.

In Ancient Rome, when an emperor would return from a military campaign, there would be an extravagant ceremony known as an Adventus to recognize and to celebrate his accomplishments. When deciding on a name for this blog, I sought to reflect this theme of celebration, not for military conquest, but for ponderings and emotions.

Since arriving at UCLA, the need for thoughtful reflection and contemplation has not diminished in the slightest, yet there has been no sound forum to do so. In fact, one of my biggest gripes about university so far is the lack of private space to be alone with one’s own thoughts. No matter where I go, I amas always surrounded by roommates, classmates, professors, or more often, strangers. Certainly it would be impossible for every one of 45,507 students to find their own private bubble but that doesn’t make me crave it any less fervently.

And being surrounded by so many people doesn’t make me feel any less alone. In the constant rush of academics and extracurriculars, it is easy to feel like a bystander in my own life, unable to grab ahold of the mental and emotional break that we all so desperately need.

I’m sure I sound super dramatic right now and I don’t mean to be. I emphatically love so many things about being at college from my friends to the energy to the opportunities. I learn from the brightest minds in the world and experience cutting edge technology on a daily basis. In the past year alone my perceptions of the world have changed significantly.

And this is exactly what led to the birth of Adventus. I’m sure I’ll have many more strong opinions that I look forward to sharing here. I also eagerly look forward to your feedback and responses to these topics so that we may continue the conversation past the screen! Feel free to reach out at ashvinagarajan@gmail.com or on social media.